cells that share the metabolic property of amine-precursor uptake and decarboxylation. They have a wide distribution, especially in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract and pancreas, and are able to form a large variety of peptide hormonal substances; they are often known as the diffuse endocrine system.
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amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation cells: a diffuse group of cells, many originating in the neural crest, that share certain cytochemical and ultrastructural characteristics and are found scattered throughout the body; types include melanocytes, the cells of the chromaffin system, and cells in the hypothalamus, hypophysis, thyroid, parathyroids, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and pancreas. They concentrate the amino acid precursors of certain amines and decarboxylate them, forming amines that function as regulators and neurotransmitters. They produce substances such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, enkephalin, somatostatin, neurotensin, and substance P, the actions of which may affect contiguous cells, nearby groups of cells, or distant cells, thus functioning as local or systemic hormones. See also basal granular c's.Medical dictionary. 2011.